A look at the Energy Fundamentals Program at Wolverine Power’s Chanda Yard east of Boyne City. The new program developed this school year by the Char-Em Intermediate School District and other partners was recently honored by the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance and addresses the need for available electrical field line workers.

Bill Scott, Great Lakes Energy CEO, addresses the audience during Friday’s Northern Lakes Economic Alliance annual spring event at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts. Scott spoke of the collaborative work of the Energy Fundamentals Program.

A look at the Energy Fundamentals Program at Wolverine Power’s Chanda Yard east of Boyne City. The new program developed this school year by the Char-Em Intermediate School District and other partners was recently honored by the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance and addresses the need for available electrical field line workers.

Bill Scott, Great Lakes Energy CEO, addresses the audience during Friday’s Northern Lakes Economic Alliance annual spring event at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts. Scott spoke of the collaborative work of the Energy Fundamentals Program.

Rummer, the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District’s director of career and technical education, was shocked by what he read on his computer screen.

“There were 157,000 open and available jobs in the state of Michigan, 157,000,” Rummer said. “These are just jobs available that are posted on their website.

“The State of Michigan predicts in five years this number will swell to 800,000,” Rummer said. “As the old George Jones song goes, ‘Who’s going to fill their shoes?’”

Last week, Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Lansing-area leaders in business, education and workforce development announced the state’s largest advertising campaign — $3 million — to raise awareness of Michigan’s skill-labor shortage.

A host of statewide employers met at the Lansing Community College Center for Manufacturing Excellence to discuss skilled trades jobs, which are in high demand as many older workers in the industry are retiring. The problem, however, is there currently aren’t enough new workers with the training to replace them.

“There is a big gap to fill, but we think that presents an opportunity,” Gilchrist said Monday at a press event announcing the state’s “Going Pro” campaign. “There are a lot of talented, hardworking people in Michigan and we want to make sure they know that there’s a pathway for them to have a high wage and high quality career here.”

According to Michigan’s Department of Talent and Economic Development, some 545,000 skilled trades jobs are expected to be created through 2026, mostly in the fields of construction, manufacturing, health care, automotive and information technology.

Michigan’s Department of Talent and Economic Development also reports most professional trades careers do not require a four-year degree, but many careers in skilled trades pay 45 percent more than the state’s median income.

Also, according to Pure Michigan Talent Connect, Michigan’s energy industry accounts for nearly 100,000 jobs with demand projected to increase by 9 percent through 2024. Median salaries in the energy industry range from $51,572 to $88,027, with an associate degree and industry credentials.

By the end of the year, Michigan’s Department of Talent and Economic Development is aiming to have 90 percent of Michigan residents ages 15-64 come into contact with the “Going Pro” messaging, which will include billboards and TV advertisements.

“We want people to know they can choose lots of different careers in Michigan,” Gilchrist said. “People, especially millennials like me, we understand that we may jump jobs a few times. When you’re making those changes you have access to the training so you can qualify for the next chapter of your career.”

Locally, the Energy Fundamentals Program — which has a hands-on training facility based at Wolverine Power’s Chanda Yard east of Boyne City — is one measure to address needs for skilled trades personnel and a shortage of electrical line workers through a collaborative effort.

The program was honored last week at the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance spring event, with recognition given for the collaboration involved and the use of resources to meet a need.

With the Char-Em Intermediate School District, Boyne City Public Schools, Great Lakes Energy and support from DTE Energy and Consumers Energy, the program is giving students an opportunity to learn the basic concepts of working in the electrical field while developing the necessary skills to work as a line worker.

Students gain applicable work experience learning directly from Great Lakes Energy line workers, and after completing the program, will be ready to apply directly to employers for an apprenticeship or to attend a pre-apprenticeship program with a regional community college if they so choose.

“Between K-12 schools, secondary institutions, public agencies and private businesses, that’s what it’s going to take — working together — to make the this growing demand of skilled workers a success,” Rummer said.

Bill Scott, Great Lakes Energy CEO, said he’s very satisfied to see the program come to fruition.

“It’s great to see we’re going to have more qualified line workers in Northern Michigan,” Scott said. “When I came on board as CEO in 2016, the board of directors wanted to increase efforts on community service projects, and I wanted to do that anyway. I think this fits very nicely under that umbrella.”

Scott said the idea of the program came following an NLEA board meeting, when he spoke to Rummer about the shortage of available line workers in the state of Michigan.

“Jim could’ve easily just walked away or pointed me to another direction, but he took the ball and ran to Boyne City Public Schools — to Pat Little, the superintendent, and Karen Jarema, the high school principal — and they did something I didn’t think they could do, they took this big square peg and fit it into this small tiny hole called the Michigan public education system,” Scott said.

Scott also lauded the program’s instructors, Derek Maki and James Rincon, for taking the program under their wings.

“We asked them to take this on and stand up and teach a bunch of high schoolers, that could be very discomforting to someone like myself, but they do an excellent job,” Scott said.

The program’s inaugural class has 10 students from Boyne City, Boyne Falls and East Jordan school districts. The pre-apprenticeship program for juniors and seniors is a two-hour daily course for one full school year.